These words mean to make one’s will or views prevail over those of another in various ways. Induce means to get another to do something by appealing to his reason: to induce a man to stop drinking; to induce a teenage driver to obey the traffic laws.

Persuade is the most general term and may be substituted for any of others. However, in its most specific sense, it means to attempt to produce a desired action by an appeal to the emotions or the will.

• After he had been ill for a week, we finally persuaded him to consult a doctor; A newspaper article about the plight of the flood victims persuaded him to send a contribution to the Red Cross.

In this context, urge is the strongest term and means to induce or persuade insistently, and vigorously, usually with the strong intention of accomplishing one’s goal: to urge student to work harder; to urge an overworked mother to take a holiday.

Coax , cajole and wheedle all mean to persuade by using gentleness, tact and even artfulness. Coax implies the use of kindness and patience: to coax a sick child to eat by making a game of it; to coax a blind person to learn to cross busy streets. In an earlier sense, cajole meant to coax or persuade by false promises and excessive flattery, but it now suggests more the idea of being agreeable and winning in order to get a person to do something: My outgoing friends were able to cajole the shy newcomer into attending the party. Wheedle implies the use of blandishments and whiles to obtain what one wants: She always wheedles money out of her father by hugging him and telling him how generous he is.